Web Page Design and Development


	The following is a discussion about AntiVirus/AntiSpyware programs. - This letter is from my "Computer Guy". This is the person I call when I cannot get my windows systems to work. He works with people, computers and their idiosyncrasies all day so you better believe he has seen it all! This was his recommendation when I wrote and asked him about software that protects your system.
	All of the anti-virus vendors have mature products that do a good job of virus protection. None of the anti-virus providers do a good job on adware/spyware/malware. So, on the anti-virus front, my opinion is "free is best." which means that the software provided by your ISP from a recognized vendor. For Example: The primary broadband providers available in Nashua, Comcast and Verizon, both provide McAfee Anti-virus and Firewall for free. AOL also provides adequate, free anti-virus and spyware protection. Comcast makes it available on there website under the security tab. Verizon provides it via the MSN Premium account provided free with Verizon DSL. Verizon users need to select and install the optional MSN account during Verizon setup to take advantage of this benefit. McAfee applications and Webroot Spysweeper are available by clicking the security icon on the MSN application tool bar. The anti-virus and spyware selections are only available when the primary MSN user is signed in. The "freeware" anti virus solutions available on the web have not been investigated. Many are only 30-90 day free trials of commercial products that won't update virus definitions after they expire or they only find, not remove, viruses. There may be an acceptable solution available for free but care must be used in selecting any free software from the net. There are many Adware/Malware/Spyware (AMS) programs on the net masquerading as Adware or Virus removers. A thorough Google search should be done on the product name before installing any free software that purports to remove Adware, Malware, Spyware or Viruses. This warning also applies to anything that is supposed to improve the performance of browsing, searching or your network connection. The best adware/spyware/malware removal/blocking products are Webroot Spysweeper and Spyware Doctor from PC Tools. I'm using Spysweeper on my desktop and Spyware Doctor on my laptop. I like Spysweeper better. Neither is able to locate and completely eradicate every malware application out there but each do a good job of blocking infestation and continually update their spyware removal databases. It is very important to keep anti virus and adware removal subscriptions up to date. This isn't a problem if you're getting your anti virus solution from your Internet provider. If you purchase anti virus software separately or you're using software that came with your computer, your subscription to new virus definitions is for a limited time only. The time period is typically one year. Anti virus and AMS removal software without a current subscription becomes ineffective over time. A yearly subscriptions for anti virus or adware definition updates is currently about $30 a piece. $60 a year is a lot cheaper than paying someone to remove the problems and it could stop the theft of priceless private data. Kaspersky Antivirus (www.kaspersky.com) is the best program available for people that have to pay for anti-virus software. I understand that the latest version of Norton Antivirus, that is just reaching store shelves, is a giant leap forward for this product but I haven't had time to read the reviews. It would have been hard for them to produce a worse product than Norton Antivirus 2005 or 2006. Everyone should install a firewall other than the one that comes with Windows XP. Zone Alarm's (www.zonelabs.com) free firewall is very good and doesn't slow older systems to a crawl like McAfee and Norton can. I do not recommend "Internet Security Suites." They consume far to many system resources while providing protection that requires extensive setup for smooth network access. Suite providers tend to be very good at one piece of the security pie while providing substandard coverage in the others. Everyone should now be running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed. Automatic updates should be turned on. This ensures that all Windows critical security patches will be installed on the system. Unfortunately, anti-virus, spyware and firewall software all add services and tasks that load and run at system start up. These tasks and services can negatively impact system performance particularly on systems without adequate memory. I recommend that all Windows XP systems have at least 512mb of memory installed. - Computer Guy